Book No. 148.

There's something to be said for writing an alternate version of the classic fairy tale of the three little pigs.

In our library collection alone we have 12 different spins:

•  The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark (Ken Geist)
• The Three Little Rigs (David Gordon)
• The Three Little Pigs and the Fox (William H. Hooks)
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (Eugenios Trivizas)
• The Three Little Pigs (David Weisner)
• The Three Little Pigs (James Marshall)
• The Three Little Pigs (Tony Ross)
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (John Scieszka)
• The Three Little Pigs: The Graphic Novel (Lisa Trumbauer)
• The Three Little Pigs = Los Tres Conditos (Merci Escardo i Bas)
• The 3 Little Dassies (Jan Brett)

Of course, this also includes Susan Lowell's The Three Little Javelinas, and rightfully so. If I have anything to say about these twelve takes on a familiar story it's that they each stand out as being fully original and independent takes on the story. And additionally, they all pull it off really well.

The Three Little Javelinas is no exception. Take the story you've heard since you were in nursery school out of the woods and drop it into the southwest. Swap the swine for hairy hog-like animals. Trade the straw, sticks, and bricks for tumbleweed, saguaro sticks, and adobe. Oh, and give the wolf a day off. The coyote will take it from here.

Perhaps the most effective aspect of the story for me is how it wraps up. Much like the pourquoi (or "why") tales of the Native Americans, this story concludes with an explanation of why the coyote howls or calls out each night.

A fitting end to this Shelf Challenge, as I found myself pushing through the final 45 books of the collection in order to finish off the "L's"...not without some howling of my own!

- Matthew

Books No. 118-121.

The final day of the Shelf Challenge is tomorrow. I am feverishly reading through bags of books. However, late this evening, a selection of works by an author/artist I have never heard of stopped me cold in my tracks. 

His name is Thomas Locker. 

His work is primarily oil paintings of nature. The books for children he has developed around these paintings feel, to me, as if they are words transcribed from a wise elder sharing a story of experience. The two don't quite fit together, and yet each illuminates the other. The affect is moving and, at times, haunting. 

I no sooner determined that his work must be the focus of today's post than I realized his recent passing. Mr. Locker left this world on March 9th, 2012. I will leave you with these images from our collection of Locker's books as well as a quote from Paula Wiseman of SImon & Schuster Children's Publishing from Locker's obituary. 

“Thomas was a pioneer in how he approached children’s books,” said Paula Wiseman, v-p and publisher of Paula Wiseman Books at Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, who was his publisher when she worked at Harcourt. “He captured nature as a living thing in his paintings and had a way of seeing and rendering that beauty that is a gift to anyone who read his books or knew his paintings.”

I am thankful his work remains in our library for others to discover.

- Matthew

Book No. 105.

A misshelved book is sometimes a really great thing, especially when it's a book like Being a Pig is Nice!

This is one of my favorite reads and I forgot that it's in our "L" section (but I now won't soon forget author Sally Lloyd-James). This child's-eye view of manners has a girl listing all of the animals which she would rather be on account of their socially acceptable misbehavior (that is, we would consider it rude, but it's second-nature in the animal world).

Don't like being clean? Why not be a PIG!

Always told to pick up the pace? Why not try out life as a SNAIL!

Can't resist splashing and squirting others whenever near a water source? You should be an ELEPHANT!

The story goes on and on with increasing silliness and delight.

Definitely a perfect pick for teachers to use at the beginning of the year when establishing class rules. Or just before winter break, when class behavior becomes unruly. Or maybe even just when you need a good laugh. 

Or two. 

Ot tons!

- Matthew

Books No. 100 and 101.

Lobel's place in history may forever be marked for his Frog and Toad series. And it should be. Those stories are brilliant and they continue to give and give no matter at what age you return to them. 

The very mention of Frog and Toad may even be causing some sort of emotional hiccup in you right now. I know I've got raking leaves on my mind... and it's nearly May.

Rarely do we get to see the genesis of a great idea which probably explains why publishers jumped on this opportunity so quickly. As explained in the author's note from his daughter, Mr. Lobel loved to create hand-drawn books for his family and friends and, as it turns out, three such handmade volumes were discovered at the estate auction some time after Lobel's passing. 

I think the best part about these books is that you don't have to be a huge Lobel fan to appreciate them. They're great books, plain and simple. It's not as though they were published for sentimental or collector value, as happens all too often in the music industry in the form of rarities, lost tracks, etc.

I doubt they would be the way a student now would "discover" Arnold Lobel and then the Frog and Toad books because of the continued popularity of monsieur Frog and close friend Toad, but they would most certainly be enjoyed by readers nonetheless.

I'm due a new bag of books to read and finish off before the end of the Shelf Challenge and, therefore, the end of the month, but I'm looking forward to Frog and Toad Together as the very first read of the last set.

- Matthew

Book No. 95.

I'm cheating and I know it.

I was well-aware that Follow the Line was on the upcoming read and it just happens to be one of my collection favorites. I pulled the book early. My son and I have been reading it nightly for the past two weeks. I never get bored with it.

How can you not talk about a book like that, right?

For those new to the (now) series of continuous line stories by Laura Ljungkvist, a line runs nonstop and page-to-page, cover-to-cover, through twists and turns, in loops and outlines of familiar objects. The reader's task, as the title implies, is simply to follow the line. There are "I spy"-type questions along the way, as do accompany any great road trip, and the fact that most readers will follow the line's path by physically tracing it with their finger brings such a high kinesthetic appeal to the book.

It's just amazing. 

In fact, it's inspired me to have students create similar artwork by drawing background prints and, using an expansive length of colorful thread, create a path to follow from one side of the page to the next. Maybe we'll go an extra impressive length and have each of the students' works connect to one another. 

Oh, that's it. It's on now. Keep your eyes peeled on busylibrarian.com for an upcoming post, assuming I can reprehend enough string.

- Matthew

Book No. 91.

Queen Latifah, Jay Leno, Spike Lee, and now John Lithgow. Apparently "L" is a good section for celebrity authors. Lucky for me, Lithgow knows his way around a book.

My favorite quality of The Remarkable Farkle McBride is that it's a fantastic read regardless of what name is published on the cover. In fact, it makes me appreciate Lithgow even more.

Farkle is a born musician, a virtual virtuoso, the Mozart of his time. Only, like most kids, Farkle quickly gets tired of his instrument and ditches it for another. The realization Farkle experiences at the story's climax when the conductor has suddenly fallen ill is perfectly befitting and just feels good to read.

Bonus: What an excellent book for a guy married to an elementary Music teacher to come across! Her students are going to love this book!

Now, onto Mr. Lithgow's seven or so other titles. I'll test drive them at the public library, but I have a feeling Farkle McBride won't be the only remarkable one!

- Matthew

Book No. 89.

Only one week remains in April. Seven days until the end of the Shelf Challenge. At this point I'm not sure I'll complete the entire "L" section in time, but I'm thankful where I've ended up tonight.

...because tonight I reached E LIO.

Leo Lionni.

Fish is Fish. Swimmy. Frederick. Inch by Inch. Tico and the Golden Wings. Pezzettino. Matthew's Dream. It's Mine! An Extraordinary Egg.

And a favorite of mine from ages ago. A story of not feeling like you fit in. Of changing with your surroundings. Of finding a color of your own.

And as bad as we cling to fit in, don't we all struggle, seeking exactly that?

Don't we all just want a color of our own?

- Matthew